Mandie Collection, The: 8 (2 page)

“Someone stole our food?” Jonathan asked.

“Oh no, steal anything but the food,” Joe said with a loud moan.

“Don’t worry about dinner,” Mandie explained. “We will be having the ham from yesterday, and I’m sure lots of other stuff. What I’d like to know is, who stole the turkey?” She explained to them what her mother had told her.

“And here I have to go home after dinner right in the middle of this mystery. How awful!” Joe said with exaggerated disappointment. “Y’all will never be able to solve this one without my help.”

“I don’t know about that. Remember, I’ll still be here,” Jonathan said to him.

“So will I,” Sallie added. “What do we do first?”

Mandie thought for a moment and said, “We need to ask Aunt Lou some questions, but that will be impossible until after dinner. She’ll be too busy. And then she has to have her dinner.”

“Maybe we could just look for the turkey. I’m sure the very odor of it would help us locate it,” Jonathan suggested.

“My mother told me we shouldn’t go off anywhere before dinner,” Mandie said, and then she added with a big grin, “But we could search the house.”

“Now, why would anyone steal a turkey out of the oven and then hide it somewhere in the house?” Joe asked. “I think that the turkey is long gone.”

“Maybe they almost got caught and they just hid it somewhere and will get it out of the house later,” Mandie said.

“But, Mandie, we would be able to smell it if it is in the house,” Jonathan told her.

“Unless they put it in something that is tightly closed,” Sallie suggested.

“You’re right, Sallie, but what could something tightly closed be?” Mandie asked thoughtfully.

“Drawers, cabinets, bins—” began Jonathan.

Joe interrupted with a loud laugh. “Just don’t forget one thing. That turkey would have been red hot if it was stolen out of the oven. So where would you hide a hot turkey?” he asked.

“On the other hand, it would have probably been too hot to carry off,” Mandie said. “So what happened to it?”

“Do you know whether they just took the turkey itself, or did they take the pan with it?” Sallie asked.

“I don’t know. Mother didn’t say,” Mandie replied. “I understand what you are thinking. If they took the pan, it would have been hot, and they would have had to leave the pan somewhere or put the pan and the turkey in something else. If they didn’t take the pan, then they must have had something to put the turkey into.”

“Yes,” Sallie agreed.

“So how do you know whether we’re looking for a turkey or a turkey with a pan?” Joe teased Mandie.

“We’ll know that just as soon as I can ask Aunt Lou about it,” Mandie told him. “I just can’t imagine who would walk into the kitchen and steal a turkey right out of the oven.”

Polly had sat silently listening to the conversation. She finally spoke. “You could all come over to my house for dinner. I’m sure our cook would have enough for everyone to eat.”

Mandie smiled at her and said, “Thanks, Polly, but I don’t think my mother would agree to that. You just stay and have dinner with us.”

Polly blew a deep breath and replied, “I was hoping you’d ask me. You see, we still have those old cousins of my mother’s at my house, and I just don’t have anyone to talk to. Thanks, Mandie.”

“You’re always welcome, Polly,” Mandie told her. “Now, if you’re going to stay, you will have to help us find the turkey.”

“Of course, Mandie, but where do we plan on looking for it?” Polly asked.

Mandie glanced at Joe with a big grin and, turning back to Polly, said, “Who knows? We’ll just have to look everywhere—the whole house, the attic, the cellar, and outside, too.” Mandie knew Polly was afraid of the Shaw cellar because it was so dark down there.

“Well,” Polly began slowly, then she looked at Jonathan and quickly said, “If you’re going with us, Jonathan, I’ll help search.”

“Sure, I’m going,” Jonathan said with a big grin. “I’d like to find whoever stole that delicious turkey. I can just taste it. Mmm!”

“You aren’t planning on eating it if you find it, are you?” Polly asked with a look of concern on her face.

Everyone laughed.

Jonathan looked at Polly and asked, “Now, why else would I be chasing after a turkey if I can’t eat it?”

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t touch it. It may not be clean. Who knows where it’s been or where it might be,” Polly said, frowning and shaking her shoulders in disgust.

“But that’s just what we are going to find out,” Jonathan said with a nod.

“Whoever stole it might have eaten it up,” Mandie suggested. “Why else would they take it?”

“They could be just playing a joke,” Polly said.

“But stealing is not a joke,” Sallie told her, then added with a smile, “especially when it’s our dinner they stole.”

Snowball woke up, stretched, and came running to jump up in the chair with Mandie.

“Oh, Snowball, you must smell dinner,” Mandie said, rubbing his head. Then suddenly looking at her friends, she added, “You know, Snowball could help us find the turkey. He would be able to smell it better than we could.”

“Oh, that white cat isn’t that smart,” Joe said.

“Oh, but he is,” Jonathan argued. “Animals are smarter than human beings give them credit for.”

“But not that particular cat. I know him too well,” Joe replied.

“According to what Mandie has told me about him, he has helped her solve some mysteries,” Jonathan said.

“All he knows to do is run away,” Joe said.

Mandie could see the two boys were becoming involved in an argument, even though they had finally become friendly toward each other after meeting at her house for Christmas. She had to stop them from getting into a strong disagreement.

“All right, Snowball is smart sometimes, and then sometimes he is not so smart, so let’s just make our plans to look for the turkey,” Mandie said emphatically as she straightened up in her chair.

Snowball, apparently alarmed by his mistress’s loud voice, jumped down and ran out of the room.

“Don’t include me. Remember, I’ll be going home,” Joe told her.

“But you could help us plan this all out,” Mandie said.

“Let Jonathan help you plan. He’ll be here,” Joe said, shrugging his thin shoulders.

“And I will be here, Mandie,” Sallie spoke up. “But perhaps we should wait until you talk to Aunt Lou about it before we make any plans. Since she is also the housekeeper of your uncle here, she would know what should be done about it.”

Mandie looked at Sallie and smiled. She realized the Cherokee girl was trying to help her smooth things out with the two boys. “You are right, Sallie,” Mandie said. “As soon as I can get a chance to talk to Aunt Lou, we will begin making our plans.”

“Seems to me y’all are making a mountain out of a molehill,” Polly said. “What good will it do y’all to make all these plans and search for the turkey when, if you do find it, it won’t be any good by that time and you’ll just have to throw it away.”

Jonathan immediately looked at Polly and said, “No, no, no! Remember, I told you I would eat it if I find it.”

“At least I don’t have to plan on eating any of it,” Joe said with a smirk.

At that moment Aunt Lou, John Shaw’s housekeeper, appeared in the doorway and announced, “Miz ’Liz’beth say to tell y’all de food be on de table.”

As the woman turned to leave, Mandie jumped up to catch her.
“Aunt Lou, when they stole the turkey, whoever it was, did they take the pan and the turkey, or just the turkey?”

Aunt Lou stopped to look down at Mandie with a puzzled expression. “ ’Course dey took de pan, my chile. How else dey gwine carry de turkey off?” she replied.

The young people looked at one another as they followed the woman down the hallway. Aunt Lou went on to the kitchen door and disappeared inside.

“So they did take the pan,” Mandie said to her friends.

“And now y’all have to find the pan and the turkey,” Joe said with a grin.

“Well, I hope we find them in the same place,” Mandie said.

They went into the dining room to join the adults, who were already there. Mandie tried to get her thoughts organized to figure out what they should do next in their search for the missing turkey.

CHAPTER TWO

ANOTHER DISCOVERY

In the dining room, Elizabeth Shaw directed the young people to seats at the table, and Mandie found herself sitting between Joe Woodard and her grandmother, Mrs. Taft. Sallie and Polly, with Jonathan between them, sat facing Mandie across the food-laden table.

“Thank goodness the two boys didn’t end up next to each other,” Mandie said to herself under her breath. She glanced at the adults—Uncle Ned, who was her father’s old Cherokee friend and was also Sallie’s grandfather, and his wife, Morning Star, Dr. and Mrs. Woodard, and Uncle John Shaw, who had married her mother, Elizabeth, after Mandie’s father died.

The adults were already carrying on their own conversation, and Mandie heard Dr. Woodard say, “Yes, 1901 has been a right good year. I hope 1902 is as good or better for us all.”

“Shall we give thanks for such a wonderful year?” John Shaw asked. “Uncle Ned, would you return thanks?”

The old Cherokee man nodded and everyone bowed their heads as he spoke. “Big God, we thank you for being good to us this year past, and we thank you for this good food, and we thank you for the good year coming next. Amen.”

The room buzzed with conversation as food was passed, and everyone began eating. As Mandie always said, “Mealtime was talking
time,” because that was the time when everyone was settled down together. That was also the time she could sit and listen and learn what was going on. Or she could ask her own questions about things she was interested in. She silently looked around the table and neglected her food.

“Wake up, Mandie!” Joe suddenly whispered in her ear with a big grin.

Mandie quickly straightened up and gave her attention to her plate. “I’m not asleep, Joe Woodard. I’m only eavesdropping.”

Joe looked at her in surprise. “Eavesdropping?” he asked.

Mandie blew out her breath and said, “I was only trying to see what our adult guests were talking about, since our younger ones don’t seem to be able to carry on a conversation without arguing.” She took a bite of the potatoes on her plate.

Joe frowned as he leaned closer to Mandie and said, “Without arguing? I’m sorry, Mandie. I apologize for giving Jonathan such a hard time, but you know he gets to stay here until Monday and I have to leave today and goodness knows what you and he will get into after I’ve gone.”

Mandie’s heart beat faster as she realized that Joe had not been nice to Jonathan because he was jealous of Jonathan. She laid down her fork and whispered, “Joe Woodard, if you don’t want to stay and help unravel the mystery of the missing turkey, that’s your hard luck. I’m sure we can do it without you.” Suddenly she realized she was too harsh with her lifetime friend. “I’m sorry, Joe. I know you have to leave with your parents, but I just wish you could stay. You and I can solve mysteries much better than anyone else.”

Joe reached to pat Mandie’s hand that was holding the white linen napkin in her lap as he said with a smile, “I’ll do my best to be in on the next mystery.”

“Promise?” Mandie asked, withdrawing her hand from his.

“I promise,” Joe replied.

“Mandie, what on earth are you and Joe whispering about?” Polly asked from across the table.

Mandie quickly looked at her and said, “Nothing really.” She began eating the food on her plate. She saw Sallie smile at her and smiled back.

There was not much conversation throughout the meal until Aunt
Lou served the special chocolate layer cake she had baked. Then the young people greedily devoured the pieces on their plates and asked for more.

“Aunt Lou, you shouldn’t have baked this cake,” Mandie said with a teasing smile.

Aunt Lou immediately stopped passing the cake and asked, “Why, my chile? What’s wrong wid it?”

“It’s so good there won’t be any left for supper,” Mandie told her, grinning as she finished the last bite on her plate.

“Dat no trouble, my chile. We’ll jes’ make another one fo’ supper,” the old woman told her as she continued passing the cake.

“And I’ll be here for supper tonight,” Jonathan told her.

“Save me a piece from this cake, and I’ll take it home with me for supper,” Joe said with a grin.

“Oh, y’all git on now. You’s jes’ tryin’ to pull my leg,” Aunt Lou said, shaking her head as she went over to the sideboard to get the coffeepot. She brought it to the table and began refilling coffee cups.

As the old woman paused by her chair, Mandie asked softly, “Aunt Lou, what happened to the turkey? Did you find out anything?”

Aunt Lou looked down at her and said, “Dat turkey, it jes’ got up and walked right out of dat oven. Ain’t no tellin’ whereabouts it went.” She refilled Mandie’s coffee cup. “Ain’t no use you worryin’ ’bout it. It’s done gone,” she added in a low voice.

As Aunt Lou moved on around the table, Mandie noticed her mother looking at her, so she didn’t say any more to the old woman.

Joe paused with his fork on the way to his mouth with a bite of ham and whispered, “That’s right. It’s done gone. So you might as well give up on making a mystery out of it.”

“I’m still going to ask Aunt Lou some questions just as soon as I get a chance,” Mandie told him.

But later, when Mandie did get an opportunity to question Aunt Lou, she didn’t learn anything else. The Woodards had gone home and so had Polly. Sallie and Jonathan stood by listening as Mandie talked to Aunt Lou in the kitchen.

“You didn’t hear anything? Or see anybody?” Mandie asked as the young people joined the old woman at the servants’ table in the kitchen. Everyone had had their dinner, and the dishes and food had all been cleared away. Aunt Lou was drinking a cup of coffee.

Aunt Lou shook her head and said, “Not a thing. Not a soul. It was jes’ like dat turkey jes’ ’vaporated in de air, jes’ went away all on its own. Didn’t nobody hear ’em or see ’em steal it. It jes’ disappeared, dat’s whut it did.”

“Was anything else disturbed?” Jonathan asked.

Aunt Lou frowned at him and replied, “Nuthin’ ’cept one of de dishrags.... It ain’t been found yet.”